Bomb threat forces Israel to Austria flight into emergency landing
The Airbus jet landed safely in Bulgaria and all passengers and crew aboard were unharmed, officials said.
Key points
- An Austrian Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna diverted to Sofia after a reported bomb threat.
- Bulgaria's air force sent a MiG-29 to escort the plane, and passengers were evacuated on landing.
- Austrian Airlines said 51 passengers and six crew were on board; no injuries were reported.
An Austrian Airlines flight from Israel to Austria made an emergency landing in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday night after a reported bomb threat, Bulgaria's transport ministry said. The Airbus A320 was flying from Tel Aviv to Vienna when it was diverted.
The Bulgarian air force sent a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the airliner, according to the transport ministry. Passengers were evacuated after landing, no injuries have been reported, and an investigation has begun.
What the airline said
Austrian Airlines confirmed a threat was made but did not give further details. A spokesperson told the AFP news agency that 51 passengers and six crew members were on board.
Bulgarian and Israeli media reported that the threat was a bomb threat. Authorities searched the plane after it landed in Sofia, about 30 minutes after the alert was first raised.
there were 51 passengers and six crew members on board the jet
— an Austrian Airlines spokesperson
Flight path and earlier incidents
Flight tracking data showed Austrian Airlines 82 left Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening and landed at Vasil Levski airport in Sofia three hours later. The plane was over Romania when it changed course.
The diversion follows other recent aviation scares. Last month a pilot tried to hijack a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv before crew and passengers overpowered him, and last week Croatia and Germany scrambled fighter jets after a flight from Corfu to Nuremberg accidentally sent a hijacking alert.
